video | SUPER TOUGH

[throwsdown]

Who: Takeshi
Broadcast: Fleetwide!
Action: Marsiva!
When: NOW!!!

[Takeshi wakes up with bad cotton mouth and a moment where forgets things -- forgets he was in a jungle last he saw, forgets the Tranquility had crashed, forgets that the people he saw as parents were long-since gone. He rolls tiredly, his baggy (now perfectly mended) sweater dragging on one hand, the sleeve still a bit too long. First thing he does is try to grab a glass of water that would have been on the desk in his room. Aboard an entirely different ship. A ship that no longer exists in space.

He blinks wide awake, sitting up straight.

The first thing he notices is that he's barefoot.

The second thing he notices is that his powersuit is gone. He pulls his sweater practically over his head in his haste, gasping aloud at the pale belly and its pal, the belly button, that greets him -- it' gone! It's gone, it's gone, it's gone! Where? When? Who, how? He looks around wildly, anxious. Was he... kidnapped? All over again? No... it couldn't be.

It's like when they kidnapped humans, on earth. But hopefully less blood.

There were people trying to kidnap them off the Tranquility, too. He remembers that.

Summoning his courage, he does what he learned from his adoptive mother. He bullshits, live on camera, at the screen. He's familiar with how network devices work enough, after all. He knows everyone should be able to see this. He puts on his most serious expression, which is admittedly pretty good for someone who is the size of a five-year-old.]

The person who kidnapped me.... they'd better show their face!

I-if you try to mess with me... I'll... I'll...

I'll kick your fucking ass!!

[Thank his adoptive parents and weird uncle for the choice of words. He puffs out his chest, making a fist. But really, he's kind of scared. Like, a lot scared. He only went without his special superhero powersuit when he broked his leg fighting in the ship before. He couldn't wear it over the cast, then. But now... now he's just... he's normal. He's not a good teammate. He's not good at fighting like this. And it's...

Terrifying.

But he'll keep a straight, determined face. He won't let them know he's scared.

He used to always show how scared he was, when he was living with his real mom. But not no more.

Even if he doesn't have his strength and speed... He's a fighter. He'll... He'll figure out something!]

If you're aliens... then... then my dad'll come find you, too!

And then we'll both kick your ass!

[... Anyone on the Marsiva, feel free to see him peeking around the corner to suspiciously watch you just about anywhere on the ship. That, or find him making himself a peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich in the kitchens. All that threatening made his nerves convert to hunger.]

Comments

[namisan]

I'll give you ten points for sheer guts, kid.

[How old are you, anyway?? Jeez. They take em younger every week.]

[throwsdown]

!!!!

I made points?! Doe that means I can get out if I make enough?

[... did she say guts, tho

he touches his stomach, mildly confused]

[namisan]

[...well look, if you were older she'd have rolled with that and snarked but she gets the impression you're serious]

It's a figure of speech, kid. Sorry. Though I guess if you get popular enough they might send you home.

[throwsdown]

[He has no clue what a figure of speech is, but whatever, priorities.]

That's what the points are for! If you get a hundred, they let you go from the game.

But I've been let go from the game a loooong time ago.

[namisan]

Ah... sounds like you come from a pretty shitty place then. [This isn't the first time she's heard of horrible game places, dude. Though now she's assuming you came from Kyriakos or some other weird place.]

Well, nobody's gonna make you play games here. [Not obvious ones, anyway.] You're just kind of stuck in space with the rest of us.

[throwsdown]

[He seems to consider that very, very carefully.]

How d'you know? That there's not gonna be games here?

[namisan]

Well, I don't. But I can tell you this place isn't all about playing a game. You're not trapped here because of a game. There's all kinds of games that are fun, I can't vouch for those never happening.

But nobody will make you play if you don't want to.

1/2

[throwsdown]

Are you sure--

[throwsdown]

[wait a gd minute, kudasai]

You're Nami!!

Your hair's cut!

[It's coming back to him; he remembers! The ship crashing, and Nami helping shield him from the cold...! It's a little blurry to recollect their conversation... but it's all coming back tenfold, the longer he looks at her.]

[namisan]

[Wait what.]

...ah.

Yeah, I cut it a few weeks ago. It was getting in the way. [Because that's obviously the best response. Stalling-ish, because he's just a little kid and she doesn't want to say well I have no idea who you are. There's an outlying chance he just knows her from her Wanted poster, but she seriously doubts it.]

[throwsdown]

It looks pretty. And I bet you don't sit on it and get it stuck in doors or get mud in it!

[Look at him being optimistic and complimentary, okay.

He has no idea you don't know him back now, because you're just rolling with it.

Tsk tsk, Nami.]

[namisan]

That's right. It's a lot easier to deal with and it looks cute, right?

[But she can't just keep pretending because that's rude, so after a moment she says gently:] I'm really sorry, though. I know I was in another place before this one, but I can't remember it. Were we friends?

[throwsdown]

[He smiles sheepishly back.]

I... I thought so... but it's okay. Sometimes people forget!

Maybe you'll remember me someday. But -- I think we were. You helped me when I broked my leg. You made me something so the rain wouldn't fall all over my head.

[namisan]

[These sound like things she would do, to be honest. Maybe not for anyone but a kid, but someone has to look out for them.

So. She grins widely.] I must have liked you a lot. If we were friends before, we can be friends again, right? Is your leg better now?

[throwsdown]

Oh, yes! It's much better now!

But I'm mad, 'cus they took my suit. And I really need that!

[namisan]

[His suit? They took clothes? That's weird.]

They took my weapon when I first arrived. Is your suit... special?

[throwsdown]

[He nods.]

It gives me my super strong power! If I don't got it, I can't jump high or punch hard or run fast.

[And that is super duper frustrating, Nami. :(]

[namisan]

[I hear ya, kid :(]

I guess they took it because they were frightened of you having it. Everyone lost the things that made them tougher when they arrived, but they do say we might get a chance to get them back later on. When you get onto another ship, I'll show you how to put a request through for it, okay?

[throwsdown]

[He folds his arms, downright pouty.]

They should be scared! I was gonna kick their butts!

[But anyway.]

So maybe we can find our stuff together! We can keep looking for our stuff.

[namisan]

[Of course you were.

...seriously she'd pay money to see that. Not a lot, but c'mon.]

I haven't stopped looking. But maybe it'll be easier with more than one pair of eyes. Do you know what my weapon looks like?

[throwsdown]

Yeah!

[Takeshi nods firmly.]

They look like sticks, kinda. Right?

[namisan]

That's right! [It's somehow reassuring that she at least turned up with her weapon in that world.] Blue, too. I miss it. Your suit and my weapon were pretty useful, huh.

What does your suit look like?

[throwsdown]

My suit's small! Like me.

[........... what, I'm seven, cut me some slack]

And it's kinda black and shiny! It's made out of real thick stuff. And it's got little boots and weird white buttons all over.

[namisan]

Well, it sounds pretty distinctive. Definitely hard to overlook if it's out there somewhere-- I'll keep my eyes peeled, okay? We'll get our stuff back one day.

[That or she'll start blowing shit up, whatever.]

[throwsdown]

Thanks, Nami! I'm sure we'll find something.

[#DETERMINATION]